After the idea of trading Domantas Sabonis had been flaunted, the Indiana Pacers have been somewhat quiet on that front. Sabonis is an All-Star caliber player and one of the top big men in the entire league, so surely other teams must be prepping offers. Players of his status don’t often get thrown onto the trade block, so NBA teams need to be taking advantage of this. Sabonis also makes less than 20 million dollars per year, which is a very appealing salary for a player of his quality. Furthermore, he’s also 25-years-old. His best years are coming. Here are two Sabonis trade ideas.
Two Domantas Sabonis Trade Ideas
Charlotte Aims Towards Contention
The trade: The Pacers send Sabonis to the Charlotte Hornets for Mason Plumlee, PJ Washington, and James Bouknight.
No team wants to part with a star. Indiana, however, is trending in that direction. If their idea is to rebuild, they should be targeting younger players.
Plumlee is in this deal to make salaries work. Indiana gets a replacement big man for now, but they aren’t likely to hold onto him much longer. His contract is very tradeable, however.
Washington is a strong young player to add to a rebuild. He’s 23-years-old and shows signs of promise. This season, in a rather crowded forward department, Washington is averaging about 11 points and five boards per game. His other traits make him an attractive player – he’s versatile and can play three positions, his wingspan is very impressive, and he’s a borderline top shooter. Bouknight is a rookie who hasn’t had time to shine yet but was still recently a lottery pick. He was great in college and Indiana may offer more playing time and growth.
Charlotte has a core of strong young players, led by LaMelo Ball. They need frontcourt help, and Sabonis brings this. His pick-and-rolls with Ball would be a joy to watch and something that would keep opposing teams up at night. Charlotte is on the brink of legitimate contention with a couple more moves, and this trade would be a major step in the right direction.
Sacramento accelerates rebuild
The trade: Indiana sends Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings for Marvin Bagley and Davion Mitchell.
Sacramento has seemingly been in a rebuilding mode for over a decade now. There’s plenty of talent on this roster, including the guard and center positions. Other veterans can contribute as well.
Adding Sabonis could vault Sacramento in the playoffs this season and for years to come. It may also come at a relatively cheap price.
The Bagley experiment failed in Sacramento. With that being said, he remains a player with untapped potential. Perhaps the Pacers can push that out of him, especially on a contract year for the former top-five pick.
Mitchell is a great piece to add as well. Unfortunately, he’s been somewhat lost in the backcourt shuffle in Sacramento, but to no fault of his own. Mitchell was a terrific college player and his skills translate well into the NBA. He’s a menacing defender and will succeed in the league due to this. Pairing him up with Malcolm Brogdon in the backcourt is a very good idea for Indiana.
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